By Isatu Sankoh
Veteran activist, retired senior police officer, former peace mediator and human rights defender, Mohamed El Tayyib-Bah, has called for urgent political reform in Sierra Leone, advocating for a more inclusive system of governance that guarantees representation for all political actors and promotes national stability.
Speaking during an extraordinary Press Conference held on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, at the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) Headquarters in Freetown, El Tayyib-Bah criticized what he described as the country’s long-standing “winner-takes-all” political system, which he argued has deepened political division, exclusion and instability since Sierra Leone’s first general elections in 1967.
Mohamed El Tayyib-Bah, who described himself as a former student activist and leader, retired senior police officer, former peace mediator and human rights defender based in the United Kingdom, said he remains strongly opposed to the “winner-takes-all” model of governance, which he believes turns political leaders into fugitives and elections into what he termed a “theatre of war.”
Reflecting on his journey in activism and public service, he recounted his role in the historic 1977 student demonstrations, his experience as a journalist involved in conflict reporting and his legal battle at the ECOWAS Court following what he described as his summary dismissal from the Sierra Leone Police.
Drawing from those experiences, El Tayyib-Bah warned that Sierra Leone’s current political structure encourages fear, alienation and cycles of revenge whenever political power changes hands, stressing that nearly half of the electorate often finds itself excluded from governance after elections.
“For decades, Sierra Leone has remained trapped in an imported colonial relic known as the Winner-Takes-All system,” he stated, adding that the model unfairly excludes large sections of the population from governance whenever their preferred political party loses an election.
He argued that under the existing system, electoral victories often create a “zero-sum game” where a narrow majority gains complete control of power and resources, while a significant minority remains politically sidelined.
“The Winner-Takes-All system means that 51 percent of the vote can translate into 100 percent of the national cake, leaving 49 percent feeling excluded,” he said, warning that such political arrangements fuel resentment, political boycotts, instability, attempted coups and national disunity.
According to him, Sierra Leone urgently needs what he referred to as an “appropriate political technology” that reflects the country’s realities, promotes fairness and guarantees inclusion for all major political stakeholders.
To address those concerns, El Tayyib-Bah proposed what he called the “Executive Proportional Representation (PR) Model,” a governance framework designed to extend proportional representation beyond Parliament into the Executive Branch of Government.
Describing the proposal as a “new social contract” for Sierra Leone, he said the Executive PR system would transform governance from exclusionary politics to one built on cooperation, accountability and shared national responsibility.
“The Executive PR Model reflects our national ethos of sharing,” he explained. “Just as families share meals from one pot, governance should also reflect collective responsibility and inclusion.”
Among the key pillars of the proposed model, he highlighted proportional cabinet sharing, where executive positions and ministerial portfolios would be distributed based on national vote share, ensuring that political parties with substantial public support remain represented in governance.
He also proposed institutional security mechanisms aimed at ending what he described as the era where political leaders become vulnerable to persecution after losing power.
According to El Tayyib-Bah, a shared executive structure would serve as an internal accountability system capable of reducing corruption, promoting transparency and ensuring equitable national development across all districts and regions.
He further argued that lowering the stakes of elections would transform political competition from confrontation into constructive partnership, fostering national unity and long-term peace.
“The national cake must be shared,” he declared, emphasizing that governance should never become a privilege reserved only for victorious political parties, but rather a collective national responsibility benefiting every citizen regardless of political affiliation.
El Tayyib-Bah clarified that his intervention should not be interpreted as a political ambition, stressing that he has no intention of seeking political office.
Instead, he described himself as an elder statesman committed to advocating for peace, tolerance, unity and inclusive governance in Sierra Leone.
“We must not simply conform to a broken system; we must build a new one,” he stated. “The Executive PR System is the only path to a Sierra Leone where every political party becomes a stakeholder in governance and the national cake becomes a meal for all Sierra Leoneans rather than a trophy for the winning party.”
He concluded with a call for national reflection, urging Sierra Leoneans to embrace a governance model rooted in the country’s cultural values of fairness and shared responsibility.
“In our homes, we share the pot so that no one goes hungry,” he said. “It is time we do the same in our State House and place our politics on a pedestal of true and lasting stability.”
